Dramatic CCTV footage shows car thief almost setting himself on fire as he torched stolen vehicle

Rebecca Speare-Cole11 September 2019
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows a car thief-turned-arsonist almost burning himself as he torched a stolen vehicle.

Met Police officers are appealing for information about the man, who was filmed just before midnight on May 23 in Ilford.

The thief was caught by a security camera parking the stolen blue Citroen car on the pavement on Belgrave Road before walking out of sight.

In the clip, he can be seen returning to break the car's window half an hour later.

He then pours petrol inside and on the vehicle's bonnet, before setting the liquid alight.

This ignition resulted in two sizeable bursts of flame, which on the footage seem to engulf the thief.

He can then be seen fleeing the scene and leaving the car burning.

Police ask anyone who recognises the man to come forward and speak to them by calling 101 quoting reference 9458/23MAY19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in